Daughters (5 & 8 years) visited the AG name brand store in the mall as we were walking by on another errand, and begged for one, but we showed them the cost, then went to another store and showed them this for 1/3 the price with two outfits and a book. They both loved these dolls just as much, and earned the money to buy one for themselves by doing additional chores and giving away some toys.
These dolls have eyes that open and close, a good bit of hair, a cloth body, and arms and legs that are soft doll plastic and bend at the hip and shoulders. The clothes, so far, have withstood two weeks of constant changing with no signs of wear. The books are cute, probably about a 2nd grade reading level with black and white pictures every few pages, and about 90-100 pages long. They seem to like to have big words thrown in with an explanation (kinda like the Fancy Nancy books).
As others have said the hair can be a problem. One doll we bought was Hally, who has long hair that had been braided. The ends of the braids were pretty frazzled. This is my 5 year old's doll she loves brushing her hair, but it has become a tangled mess! We found a cheap wire brush, a slicker brush for dogs, at a discount store, that works really well. The plastic brushes create static and make it really hard to make any progress, but the wire brush makes pretty fast progress. It also helps if you spray a bit of water to make the hair damp a suggestion from the manufacturer. However, the ends are still frazzled and crinkly, and tangle VERY quickly. I think I will try rolling them on large foam curlers while damp and see if that might help straighten them out. I am not certain that the same thing would not have happened with the AG name brand.
My 8 year old got this doll, Eva. Her hair is just below the shoulders, a little bit shorter length, and was in better shape. We haven't had any problems with it tangling badly (don't know if the difference is the age of the girl's or the doll) However, Eva's face was, and remains, a little pushed in, like something had been set on top of it in the warehouse during the summer heat. She was packaged well for shipping, so I don't think it occurred then. I don't think my 8 year old noticed, but I did, and was a little disappointed.
Would definitely buy again these dolls will pleasure any girl that is not firmly set on the name brand.
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First of all, the mark-up here is crazy. I found the exact same doll and accessories at Target for $27.99 in Nov. 2011. Edited to add: After a year, we are still extremely happy with this doll. It is absolutely adorable and my 10 yr old loves it. She's much happier with the pricing of this American Girl knock off (and so are we). She likes to spend her birthday money, etc., on accessories and after looking at the American Girl catalog she realizes she gets WAY more bang for her buck with Our Generation. The doll and it's accessories are just as durable and cute. Don't waste your $$ on American Girl.
Best Deals for Our Generation Eva And inches The Mystery Of The Vanishing Coin
My 7 year old daughter and I took turns reading this to each other. Normally, with a chapter book like this one, we stretch it out over the course of a week. This one was so good, though, we started it at bedtime and finished it the next morning. The story was great, keeping my daughter and I, BOTH, interested!
Normally, as I read most chapter books with her, or even level readers, I am constantly identifying things in the book that I do not appreciate being taught to my daughter, like promoting zoo's (animal captivity), or being overly girly or princess-like, or being superficial, or other nonsense, or, being just plain uninteresting for one or both of us. Yes, I am, very critical of the messages in books, however subliminal they might be. I am amazed at what is being published as appropriate for kids growing minds. However, not once, in this whole book, was I displeased with any of the messages being delivered. The story was interesting, taught realistic and great behaviors, had wonderful side stories, was an intriguing mystery, and I am simply delighted to have found this author, Susan Cappadonia Love. Thank you for the awesome book! We normally donate most of our books when my daughter grows too old for them, but this one will be kept in our collection for good!
Honest reviews on Our Generation Eva And inches The Mystery Of The Vanishing Coin
It is very comparable to American Girl Doll, my daughter likes it and is happy with it. The only difference I noticed is the hair... other than that, it's great!
